Merkel (12 mi SW), Texas climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Merkel (12 mi SW)'s normal year runs from 31°F January nights to 94°F July afternoons, with 26.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 17.4°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 35°C, 674 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMerkel (12 mi SW)
- Station IDUSC00415852
- Location32.32°N 100.12°W
- Elevation2,249 ft (686 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Merkel (12 mi SW) is 75°F and the normal low 49°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Merkel (12 mi SW).
- Jan 56° 31°
- Feb 61° 33°
- Mar 69° 41°
- Apr 78° 49°
- May 85° 59°
- Jun 91° 67°
- Jul 94° 70°
- Aug 93° 69°
- Sep 86° 62°
- Oct 78° 51°
- Nov 66° 40°
- Dec 57° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Merkel (12 mi SW) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 94°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 31°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.41 in), the least in January (1.12 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56°F | 31°F | 43.5°F | 1.12 | – | <1 | 20 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 61°F | 33°F | 47.0°F | 1.46 | – | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| March | 69°F | 41°F | 55.1°F | 1.84 | – | <1 | 6 | 12 h |
| April | 78°F | 49°F | 63.1°F | 1.92 | – | 4 | 2 | 13 h |
| May | 85°F | 59°F | 71.9°F | 3.41 | – | 10 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 91°F | 67°F | 79.1°F | 3.17 | – | 21 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 94°F | 70°F | 82.1°F | 1.97 | – | 25 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 93°F | 69°F | 81.2°F | 2.89 | – | 24 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 86°F | 62°F | 74.3°F | 3.21 | – | 12 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 78°F | 51°F | 64.5°F | 2.65 | – | 2 | 2 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 66°F | 40°F | 53.1°F | 1.49 | – | <1 | 8 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 57°F | 33°F | 45.0°F | 1.40 | – | <1 | 16 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 76°F | 51°F | 63.3°F | 26.53 | – | 99 | 68 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C | 0°C | 6.4°C | 28 mm |
| February | 16°C | 1°C | 8.3°C | 37 mm |
| March | 21°C | 5°C | 12.8°C | 47 mm |
| April | 25°C | 9°C | 17.3°C | 49 mm |
| May | 29°C | 15°C | 22.2°C | 87 mm |
| June | 33°C | 19°C | 26.2°C | 81 mm |
| July | 35°C | 21°C | 27.8°C | 50 mm |
| August | 34°C | 21°C | 27.3°C | 73 mm |
| September | 30°C | 17°C | 23.5°C | 82 mm |
| October | 25°C | 11°C | 18.1°C | 67 mm |
| November | 19°C | 4°C | 11.7°C | 38 mm |
| December | 14°C | 0°C | 7.2°C | 36 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Wingate (19 miles away), gets 1 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00415852; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Merkel (12 mi SW)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, October and November.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00415852.
When is the last frost at Merkel (12 mi SW)?
In Merkel (12 mi SW), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 2 in half of years and after April 20 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 3 in half of years and before October 21 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 21 year in 10 after April 20; 9 in 10 after March 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 31 year in 10 before October 21; 9 in 10 before November 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 215 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 238 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 20 in half of springs and before November 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Merkel (12 mi SW) in zone 8a in ZIP code 79537, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Texas · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00415852; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Merkel (12 mi SW)?
In a normal year in Merkel (12 mi SW), 99 days a year reach 90°F (16 of them 100°F or more) and 68 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 99a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 16a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 68a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 5high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00415852.
How sunny is it at Merkel (12 mi SW)?
Over a year 84% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Merkel (12 mi SW), 5.3 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (89%) and February the cloudiest (78%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 81% | 3.3 |
| February | 78% | 4.0 |
| March | 81% | 5.2 |
| April | 84% | 6.4 |
| May | 83% | 6.8 |
| June | 89% | 7.4 |
| July | 88% | 7.1 |
| August | 88% | 6.5 |
| September | 84% | 5.4 |
| October | 84% | 4.5 |
| November | 83% | 3.5 |
| December | 80% | 3.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Merkel (12 mi SW) record?
A normal year at Merkel (12 mi SW) brings 2,785 heating degree days, 48% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,209 cooling degree days, 2.4 times the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 5,707 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 667 | 1 |
| February | 508 | 5 |
| March | 324 | 15 |
| April | 135 | 78 |
| May | 33 | 247 |
| June | 0 | 423 |
| July | 0 | 530 |
| August | 0 | 502 |
| September | 13 | 293 |
| October | 120 | 104 |
| November | 366 | 11 |
| December | 620 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 2,785 | 2,209 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00415852. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Merkel (12 mi SW)'s climate compare?
Merkel (12 mi SW) is warmer than 67 of the 321 places with their own NOAA record in Texas, and wetter than 126. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 63.3°F is warmer than 84%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Merkel (12 mi SW) is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Merkel (12 mi SW) share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Merkel, TX2,494 people · 12 mi NE
- Trent, TX295 people · 12 mi N
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Merkel (12 mi SW)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Merkel (12 mi SW)?
January, with a normal high of 56°F and a normal low of 31°F. The warmest is July (94°F by day, 70°F at night).
Does it snow at Merkel (12 mi SW)?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Wingate (19 miles away), records 1 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Merkel (12 mi SW)?
May, with 3.41 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.12 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Merkel (12 mi SW) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Merkel (12 mi SW) in zone 8a in ZIP code 79537, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Merkel (12 mi SW)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 2; in one year in ten it comes after April 20. Waiting until April 20 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Texas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Wingate, TX19 miles from this station, 62.9°F a year
- Bronte (11 mi NNE), TX21 miles from this station, 63.7°F a year
- Roscoe, TX25 miles from this station, 63.6°F a year
- Abilene, TX27 miles from this station, 66.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made